An anti-inflammatory agent is a substance that suppresses inflammatory cytokines and/or inflammatory mediators (such as prostaglandins). Aspirin and teprenone are known examples of anti-inflammatory agents.
A cancer-preventive agent is a substance that prevents carcinogenesis induced by intake of carcinogen or by chronic infection. No remarkable agent has been known so far. Under these circumstances, the inventors investigated agents from various crude oils or fats from various plant seeds that neutralize lipid-peroxyl radicals (hereinafter “LOO●”) , which exhibits, for example, strand breaks of DNA and cytotoxicity, and found an aromatic compound named canolol (4-vinyl-2,6-dimethoxyphenol, FIG. 1) from crude canola (rape seed) oil (T. Sawa et al, Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 7, 1007-1012 (1998); H. Kuwahara et al, J. Agric. Food Chem., 52, 4380-4387 (2004); D. Wakamatsu et al, Biosci., Biotech., Biochem., 69, 1568-1574 (2005); A. Kanazawa et al, Eur. J. Lipid Science Tech., 104, 439-447 (2002); WO 2003/030888).
The present inventors demonstrated that canolol could effectively scavenges LOO● that are toxic to the host.
Since canolol has LOO● neutralizing activity, it may be used as a medicament, cosmetic, or food ingredient.